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Matched Pair
An outrageous scheme served both their purposes.....
Samantha Scarborough longed to save her family's racing stables, especially the magnificent stallion Black Knight. Dashing Lord Mark Desmond, darling of the ton, wanted freedom - freedom from scores of matchmaking mamas and their hopeful daughters. Naturally any engagement between them would be only a business arrangement, and a temporary one at that!
They hadn't planned in advance on how Mark would react to the increasing number of Sam's suitors. How Samantha would deal with Mark's interest in the lovely - and scandalous - Angel. Or if they'd manage to face up to the most dire consequence of their amorous charade.
Samantha Scarborough longed to save her family's racing stables, especially the magnificent stallion Black Knight. Dashing Lord Mark Desmond, darling of the ton, wanted freedom - freedom from scores of matchmaking mamas and their hopeful daughters. Naturally any engagement between them would be only a business arrangement, and a temporary one at that!
They hadn't planned in advance on how Mark would react to the increasing number of Sam's suitors. How Samantha would deal with Mark's interest in the lovely - and scandalous - Angel. Or if they'd manage to face up to the most dire consequence of their amorous charade.
- GenresRomanceRegencyHistorical
220 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 21, 2026
This month’s TBR Challenge theme is “vintage”, so I went with a Regency trad from the late 80s. Matched Pair is a lighthearted, solidly good read. While it contains nods to Almack’s, the ton and other standbys of Regency romance, this book is a little different in that much of it revolves around horse breeding, horses, and those who love them.
Samantha Scarborough’s father was a gentleman, but he had a keen interest in horses and their bloodlines. He built up the family stables, and they enjoyed a great reputation. However, after his death, his brother Stanley has inherited and while good-hearted and generous, dear old Uncle Stanley is a bit of a spendthrift with a gambling problem besides. Not surprisingly, the Scarborough finances are approaching dire straits.
To readers of Regency romance, the feckless brother/uncle/male relative whose female relatives are struggling to keep the family afloat are staples of the genre. When I started the book, I’ll admit I rolled my eyes a little, but Ms. Rutland writes with a light touch and she makes her characters so likeable that I couldn’t help engaging with the story. Stanley has terrible financial habits, but he’s also a generous man who clearly loves his family.
So, how do the leads meet? Well, it turns out that Samantha’s uncle lost a bet and now Mark Desmond gets to have his pick of the Scarborough stables. Samantha meets him as he arrives at the family home, and she is beside herself. She just knows that he will choose their prize stallion, Black Knight, who is her favorite among the horses.
After some entertaining conversations, we learn that Samantha’s younger sister longs for her London season (after all, Samantha got to have one!) However, there’s not much money to pay for lodging, dresses, etc… And then there’s Mark’s dilemma. His mother wants him to settle down, marry and produce an heir. He’s in no hurry, so he proposes a deal to Samantha. He will insinuate to his parents that he’s considering offering for Samantha. In return, his parents will of course invite Samantha and her sister to stay at their home in London, thus making it cheaper to give the sisters a London season.
Samantha reluctantly agrees to play along, and the game is afoot. Except that Mark’s parents are genuinely lovely people that one hates to deceive. And as it turns out, Mark himself is very good company. The chemistry between Samantha and Mark works well in this book, and I found myself very entertained by the story.
Samantha attracts admirers in London, and the author does a good job of showing Mark’s reaction to that. And then there are the rumors of Mark and a certain actress, which affect Samantha’s feelings in ways she clearly didn’t expect. These two are so set on their plan that it takes a while for them to realize the feelings they’re developing for each other, and the author paints that emotional landscape very well.
There are plenty of social engagements and plot points to keep everything moving effortlessly, and I found Matched Pair to be a delightful read. Some of the antics of the secondary characters grated on my nerves on occasion, but overall I truly enjoyed this book.
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Sidenote: Eva Rutland was one of Harlequin’s early Black authors. She primarily wrote stories featuring white characters, and I sometimes wonder what she would have written had she come along even a few decades later.
Samantha Scarborough’s father was a gentleman, but he had a keen interest in horses and their bloodlines. He built up the family stables, and they enjoyed a great reputation. However, after his death, his brother Stanley has inherited and while good-hearted and generous, dear old Uncle Stanley is a bit of a spendthrift with a gambling problem besides. Not surprisingly, the Scarborough finances are approaching dire straits.
To readers of Regency romance, the feckless brother/uncle/male relative whose female relatives are struggling to keep the family afloat are staples of the genre. When I started the book, I’ll admit I rolled my eyes a little, but Ms. Rutland writes with a light touch and she makes her characters so likeable that I couldn’t help engaging with the story. Stanley has terrible financial habits, but he’s also a generous man who clearly loves his family.
So, how do the leads meet? Well, it turns out that Samantha’s uncle lost a bet and now Mark Desmond gets to have his pick of the Scarborough stables. Samantha meets him as he arrives at the family home, and she is beside herself. She just knows that he will choose their prize stallion, Black Knight, who is her favorite among the horses.
After some entertaining conversations, we learn that Samantha’s younger sister longs for her London season (after all, Samantha got to have one!) However, there’s not much money to pay for lodging, dresses, etc… And then there’s Mark’s dilemma. His mother wants him to settle down, marry and produce an heir. He’s in no hurry, so he proposes a deal to Samantha. He will insinuate to his parents that he’s considering offering for Samantha. In return, his parents will of course invite Samantha and her sister to stay at their home in London, thus making it cheaper to give the sisters a London season.
Samantha reluctantly agrees to play along, and the game is afoot. Except that Mark’s parents are genuinely lovely people that one hates to deceive. And as it turns out, Mark himself is very good company. The chemistry between Samantha and Mark works well in this book, and I found myself very entertained by the story.
Samantha attracts admirers in London, and the author does a good job of showing Mark’s reaction to that. And then there are the rumors of Mark and a certain actress, which affect Samantha’s feelings in ways she clearly didn’t expect. These two are so set on their plan that it takes a while for them to realize the feelings they’re developing for each other, and the author paints that emotional landscape very well.
There are plenty of social engagements and plot points to keep everything moving effortlessly, and I found Matched Pair to be a delightful read. Some of the antics of the secondary characters grated on my nerves on occasion, but overall I truly enjoyed this book.
-----------
Sidenote: Eva Rutland was one of Harlequin’s early Black authors. She primarily wrote stories featuring white characters, and I sometimes wonder what she would have written had she come along even a few decades later.
June 4, 2020
Disappointingly tense too much of the time somehow
May 1, 2021
A nice, light-hearted read. I liked Samantha and Desmond, too.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews